New to me Hendey 18 x 8 Cone Head Lathe

[Atrixium]

First off, please excuse any faux pas I may make here, I'm new here and while I'm definitely not a machinist, I have an interest and a desire to learn so please bear with me!

I just recently picked up an old Hendey 18 x 8 cone head lathe that I'm trying to learn more about, from what I understand it's the older pattern without the reinforcing bar across the top of the head stock.

What I've been looking for is a an operators manual, or something similar, that might show how to properly maintain and operate the lathe, my experience so far has been on much smaller machines.

Here's a picture of the machine to get an overall idea of what it is:



I haven't been able to locate a serial number on it so far, but it's still pretty grimy, so it may be hiding at the moment.

So far the only deficiency I've found with it, aside from the obvious broken gate on the gearbox, is that the rack under the apron is damaged about halfway through and it drops out of engagement with the hand wheel.

Any how, if you folks that are more familiar with the Hendey lathes could drop me some hints, tips, suggestions and so forth it would be greatly appreciated!

 

[johnoder]

Welcome to forum

Manual scan from about 1920 - thanks to Greg Menke for hosting this for me.
Serial will be right end on top in between two front ways, adjacent two screws holding up lead screw bracket

http://pounceatron.dreamhosters.com/docs/hendey/1920-Hendey-manual.pdf

Generic old lathe info - if needed

http://campkahler.com/files/How_to_Run_a_Lathe_SB_1of2.pdf
http://campkahler.com/files/How_to_Run_a_Lathe_SB_2of2.pdf

Write up I did years ago about one of its unique features

http://www.practicalmachinist.com/v...ory/hendey-lathe-emergency-113621/#post421468

 

[Atrixium]

Thanks Johnoder, that's great information! Looking through the manual, it looks like there are more similarities than differences, so that will be very helpful!

I had a look at the tail end of my lathe but I wasn't able to find any serial numbers stamped in there or any remnants of one, are there any other locations where they might be?

I also noticed during another inspection that the half nuts are totally stripped out, so it's looking like I will have to figure out how to repair that before I can use it for any threading. I'm thinking I probably have to remove the apron in order to access the half nuts, and it's probably a good idea to get in there and clean up what's there any how. It looks like this lathe has had some fairly neglectful owners in it's lifetime, but I think with some effort I can bring it back up to snuff!

 

[Salem Straub]

Hendeyman can make you half nuts at a reasonable price, I do believe... he's a great resource for these, usually with a serial number you can find the original owner of the lathe etc.

 

[Atrixium]

Finally got the new lathe into the shop and planted where it's going to live, so now I can begin tearing it down to see what kind of "repairs" the previous owners have done to it.



I'll definitely be needing the half nut, it's stripped right out and looks like someone took a stab at repairing it sometime in the past, I'll have to get the apron off before I can really get a handle on what I'm in for, if Hendeyman is around I'd be interested to know what sorts of things I should look for that might be common failures/operator errors on these machines as well as how I can acquire a new half nut.

So far no luck tracking down the serial number, I'm thinking it may be worn off, I guess I don't get to learn much about it's history before it came to me.

 

[hendeyman]

Atrixium:

Your lathe was built between 1898 and early 1904 and features Taper Spindle Bearings. The Automatic Stop Rod and its brackets are
missing. Your lathe is set-up to cut threads from 80tpi to 24tpi. Since your Rack is defective and you have to remove the Apron to
remove the Half-Nuts, check for any damage to the Rack Gear and Pinion. It is not unusual to find teeth missing from this assembly
which causes trouble when you try to move the Carriage along the bed. There are no longer any Patterns, Castings or Repair Parts left
in inventory for a lathe of this age, but all of the original drawings are still in the files, so, parts can be made as required.
Also, when you have the Apron removed, check the Frictions inside the Worm Gears for excessive wear. The Frictions should be level
with or proud of the surface of the Worm Gears, if not, they should be rebuilt.

Hendeyman

 

[Atrixium]

Thanks for the info, I'm going to try to document the process of dismantling the lathe and seeing what damage I can find and fix. I removed the automatic stop rod from the lathe prior to moving it into the shop to prevent damage to it, didn't want to make the repairs any harder than necessary.

It looks like the previous owner brazed up the half nut and then re-cut the threads, I might see if someone local to me here can manage that for me again.

So far the only missing teeth I've found are on the gears that go from the spindle to the gearbox, there are two teeth missing on one gear a few teeth apart, doesn't seem to affect the operation of the machine though, hopefully it'll hang on until I can repair/replace the gear.

Right now I'm fighting a cast iron backing plate that's stuck to the spindle, it seems like someone maybe had a tool crash and drove it on there good, especially if the broken tool in the holder is any indication. I've tried, oil, heat, impact and a long lever and only managed to bust one of the mounting holes and nearly one of my fingers so far, now I'm thinking my next best option at this point is to machine it down and try to crack it off once I get the lathe spinning again, maybe run it in reverse with an inverted tool to see if it will coax it off. Thoughts?

I'll post up some more pictures as I break it down, it's just a hobby so it'll probably take me a while to get it all apart, I sure appreciate all the info and expertise here!

 

[Atrixium]

It's been a while but I finally got back to my lathe and I'm still looking for it's serial number so I can get the proper part drawings from Hendeyman. I've made up a short video tour of the lathe as it sits in hopes that one of you more knowledgeable gentlemen might be able to date it close enough for me to get some drawings so I can make up the parts as needed. Exploded diagrams (if any exist) would also be handy as I may have to dismantle it to get it into the new shop!

Anyway, here she is: Old Hendey lathe - YouTube

And here's an album of pictures I took when I was cleaning it up looking for the serial number:
Shared album - Rob Street - Google Photos

As a little bonus, there's another lathe in the album that I'm trying to identify, it looks to be like a little South Bend 9" but it doesn't quite fit the descriptions and images I've found, so I'm not sure where it's from or how old it is. I have a suspicion that it may be custom made based on a 1930's South Bend pattern, in any case, it's a nice little lathe and a great deal easier to move than the big old Hendey!

 

[johnoder]

Patent date tag - does not last one say March 1899? Suggests it is around 115 years old - sort of like what hendeyman says in above post

 

[Atrixium]

That is an astute observation! I can't be certain if that's the original apron for this machine, but assuming it is, I wonder if that is enough info for Hendeyman to provide the drawings?

I'm stuck in the process of moving my equipment to my new shop until the snow melts and I won't be able to continue stripping it down until it's here at the new place, but hopefully when I get it all apart I'll be able to track down some numbers and get a detailed look at all the wear, especially in the areas that Hendeyman noted above.

Thanks for all the input, I figure the more I can learn about this thing the better!

 

[johnoder]

Sounds like you need to be talking to hendeyman. If you look thru his recent posts you can find his email

That is an astute observation! I can't be certain if that's the original apron for this machine, but assuming it is, I wonder if that is enough info for Hendeyman to provide the drawings?

I'm stuck in the process of moving my equipment to my new shop until the snow melts and I won't be able to continue stripping it down until it's here at the new place, but hopefully when I get it all apart I'll be able to track down some numbers and get a detailed look at all the wear, especially in the areas that Hendeyman noted above.

Thanks for all the input, I figure the more I can learn about this thing the better!

 

[sfriedberg]

Spammer reported. Used a different forum handle last Thursday, but same MO and now hitting multiple forum threads.

 

[LesterDirksen]

Hi everyone
I am totally agree with you my problem is solved i am going to bookmark this thread https://www.practicalmachinist.com/forum/threads/new-to-me-hendey-teatime results-18-x-8-cone-head-lathe.327209/. If i have any further guidelines then i tell you here
Have a good day to all the members